3 Keys to Thought Leadership Content Marketing

The operative term in “Thought Leadership Marketing” is not marketing. The point is not to prattle on about your product or service – the point is to talk about the pain points experienced by your customers and the strategies they might employ to address them. So tackling a problem that requires solutions beyond your own, is a good idea. It allows you to recommend the products and services of other companies, which builds credibility. It shows you’re not just here to sell, you’re here to help.

As Thought Leadership expert, Danielle Sabrina puts it: “Thought leadership marketing is not just about selling your product or service. It’s also not about telling the world your company is the best. It’s about being a resource.”

Granted, you also want to make sure you’re cultivating an area of expertise that doesn’t fall too far from your offering. After all, for your efforts to serve you, they need to spark a conversation about your offering at some point.

If you’re spending time, money and energy producing valuable resources that aren’t working together to generate an instantly recognizable brand, you’re wasting that time, money and energy. Remember, you don’t have to be shamelessly hawking your wares to keep your brand front and center.

Thought leadership content has been a big part of fueling Salesforce’s record breaking growth, and it’s no coincidence that every eBook, white paper, webinar or other vehicle the company sends into the world is designed by people who know the brand inside and out – ensuring the enduring brand continuity needed for their efforts to achieve their full potential.

On that same note: if your brand doesn’t have a professional polish to it, it’s going to be working against the credibility you’re trying to build with your thinking. (This is why Salesforce has made a huge investment in its brand, creating a world of vibrant, engaging characters and environments leveraged in every single piece of marketing.)

You know your content can’t do its job if you don’t drive eyes and ears to it. But you might not be thinking big enough in this regard. Social Triggers Founder, Derek Halpern, uses what he calls the 80/20 rule. He spends 20% of his time creating content and 80% promoting it. Why? Because, as he explains, “If you spend time writing a piece of content, and that content only gets 1,000 readers, chances are there are one million other people in the world who can benefit from what you wrote.” And he’s not alone in going big on promotion. Salesforce supports every piece of content released with 4 blog posts, 4 Facebook posts, 16 Tweets and 2 LinkedIn updates, minimum.

But every business is different, and Salesforce’s minimum may not apply for you. A good way to establish your cadence is to do some testing with the following three questions in mind:

First, what can your audience tolerate? At what point do your promotions start reaching diminishing returns – do you get the same number of eyeballs with six Tweets as you do with four?

Second, what can you sustain? Six Tweets may be the magic number, but make sure it’s realistic to maintain that pace. This isn’t a one and done exercise – you need success that can be replicated.

Finally, what can you afford? If you’re dipping your toe in the world of sponsored posts and other paid media, make sure you can foot the bill on an ongoing basis. Again, if you can’t maintain the momentum, the long term prospects for your thought leadership marketing won’t be very bright.